Iceland: This country is not only run on 100% renewable energy but is also home to an ambitious, cutting-edge carbon sequestration project called CarbFix.
CarbFix works by dissolving captured CO2 into large quantities of water, similar to the process used to make soda or sparkling water. This CO2-rich water is then injected over 3,000 feet below the surface of the earth, where it reacts with porous basalt to form carbonate deposits.
Many other scientists are also working on carbon sequestration strategies, but CarbFix is unique in that their method takes only a couple of months and is basically permanent (the stored carbon will be locked away for millions of years).
CarbFix currently sequesters around 10,000 tons of CO2 a year.
According to CarbFix scientist Sandra Snaebjornsdottir, “basalt is actually the most common rock type on Earth”, so this process could work even outside of Iceland’s unique geology. Basalt is particularly common in the ocean floor, which is where scientists are looking to next implement this technology.